The European Union has said it was “appalled” by the Taliban’s announcement of severe limitations on women’s freedom in Afghanistan.
In its “Law on Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on Afghans, particularly women. They can no longer sing, or recite poetry and must remain silent in public. Women have also been ordered to cover their faces and bodies at all times.
On August 26, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, issued a press release about the new laws.
“This latest decision is another serious blow undermining the rights of Afghan women and girls, which we cannot tolerate,” the statement read.
“We urge the Taliban to put an end to these systematic and systemic abuses against Afghan women and girls, which may amount to gender persecution, which is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Afghanistan is a State Party.”
According to Borrell: “The decree also creates yet another self-imposed obstacle to normalised relations and recognition by the international community, to which the Taliban publicly aspire.”
The EU is outraged by the Taliban’s decree confirming and extending severe restrictions on the life of Afghans, another serious blow to the rights of women and girls, which we cannot tolerate.
We urge the Taliban to put an end to these systemic abuses.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 26, 2024
Next to the EU, the UN and numerous human rights organisations have also protested against the legislation.
The UN labelled the Taliban policies as “gender apartheid”, while Roza Otunbayeva, who leads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said the law outlined “a worrying vision of the future of Afghanistan, where ‘morality inspectors’ have discretionary powers to threaten and arrest anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of crimes”.
Taliban authorities responded, denouncing the criticisms as Western “arrogance”.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan Government, said the law was “firmly rooted in Islamic teachings” and must be respected.
“Rejecting these laws without trying to understand them is, in our opinion, an expression of arrogance”, according to Mujahid, who claimed that if a Muslim criticised the law, it “may even lead to a decline in his faith”.
Another spokesman, Hamdallah Fatrah, told AFP that the government would not use force or repression when implementing the new rules. They “will be carefully implemented and attract people’s understanding and guidance”, he said.
Next to cracking down on women’s rights, the legislation demands that typewriters, radios and similar objects should not be “misused”.
In addition, any content published and broadcast in the media should not be against Sharia or Islam, nor should it humiliate or insult Muslims, and it should not include images of living beings.
Wearing neckties, trimming beards shorter than a fist’s length, styling hair in ways deemed un-Islamic, forming close friendships with non-Muslims, assisting non-believers in matters conflicting with Islamic principles, and imitating the appearance or customs of non-Muslims have also been forbidden.
Homosexuality, animal fighting, music in public places and holidays that are not listed on the Islamic religious calendar are also banned.
Barkatullah Rasooli, the spokesperson for the Afghan justice ministry, said: “According to this law, the ministry is obliged to command the good and forbid the evil in accordance with Islamic Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence and is also responsible for ensuring peace and brotherhood among the people while preventing them from engaging in ethnic, linguistic, and regional prejudices.”
